Atlantic Salmon MaineMay 28th, 2008 will go down as one of the most memorable days of my life. It’s right up there with all the things one associates with being the proud father of three kids. Maine’s Penobscot River just had a month long catch and release season with a 50 fish limit on Atlantic Salmon. I had never fished the Penobscot for the Atlantic Salmon until this special season even though I moved here in 1977. In the recent 15 years I fished the rivers of my birthplace in Newfoundland. It was on my 6th day visit to the Eddington pool and I was in rotation behind Royce Day who has the distinction of “Top Rod” for the recent season. The water looked perfect in the late evening light. My number 4 Green Highlander made a small “V” ripple in response to the half hitch secured near the eye of the fly as the drift carried it across the mid-section of one of the best spots in the pool. Then suddenly it happened! The water exploded in front of me, revealing the bright silver form of a 15-18 lb. salmon, fresh in from the Atlantic Ocean. While at sea it had stored enough energy to fight rapids and jump water falls in its battle to return to that special place in the river to repeat the cycle of life. The fight was on. It didn’t matter to me if my barbless hook did not hold. The hit alone was worth all the efforts. The salmon took the line almost to the end of the 100 yd. backing 3 times and put on a couple of aerial ballet dances before I was able to land and release it about 20 minutes later.The Penobscot was once one of the premier salmon rivers in all of North America. It was said that “salmon were so plentiful that they were pitchforked onto wagons to be used as fertilizer.” The Atlantic Salmon now face an epic battle as many people join in a concerted effort to restore it to our waters. Much progress has been made and every longtime angler counts it a privilege to once again grace the pools of this magnificent river and work to restore the salmon and the river to the days when the river beckoned the rods of fishermen the world over.During my short time on the Penobscot I met people from New York, Vermont, and Kaiser (a beautiful German Shepherd) and her parents from Rhode Island and Mainers from as far away as Bethel and Presque Isle. They were all here because of the chance to fish for the “king of fish”; the Atlantic Salmon. It was evident that they would like the privilege to continue this type of limited season. We are all grateful and look forward with anticipation to continuing to try our luck for “the fish of a thousand casts.”